Rend and Forswear
by Taryn Streambattle
Summary: When Slash kidnaps Raphael, Casey and Leonardo are forced to search for him in a dark underworld of booby traps and ugly truths. AU re-write of 'Newtralized'. No pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Robyn is borrowed from the comics. She's April's sister there, but since April doesn't have any siblings in the 2k12 verse, I gave her to Casey. The Ramble is a wood in Central Park. Also, since I am not a hockey player and hours of google searching was mostly fruitless, I would appreciate it if any readers who know a thing or two about hockey would chime in on any inaccuracies regarding the names/uses of Casey's gear. The last five chapters will be posted on Thursday.

* * *

><p>Casey glanced at the clock as he shut the front door behind him.<p>

Five past ten. He was going to be late.

Darting quickly up the stairs, Casey changed out of his cashier's uniform and pulled on his sweatshirt. He was just about to put his harness on when he heard the door to his sister's room creak open.

He threw the harness back into his closet and shut the door just as a timid knock rapped on the wood.

Opening the door, he knelt to her height. "Did you have the nightmare again?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Her head bobbed up and down before she abruptly threw her arms around him. Casey returned the hug and exhaled slowly. "It's OK," he said, rubbing his hand up and down her spine gently,. He wished he could tell her they weren't real.

"Casey?"

"What?"

"...Can you sleep with me tonight?"

"Not tonight, Robyn," he said. Standing up, he hoisted her up and tightened the hug. "I need to practice," he said as he began carrying her down the hall.

Her grip around his chest tightened. "Please, Casey!"

"How about when I come back?" he asked.

"No," she insisted, "Now."

Casey sighed, and nudged the door to her room open. "Think you can give Professor X a run for his money," he muttered, coming to stand by her bed. She curled up on the thin mattress, the moonlight pooling on her umber skin. He joined her, his long, gangly limbs taking up most of the bed until he hung them over the edge and crunched himself into a corner.

The minutes stretched on, and Casey tried not to count them as he absently ran his fingers through his sister's curly hair. They lay there in silence, and he listened to her nervous breathing.

Her voice sleepily called his name. "Yeah, Robyn?" he replied, shifting lightly on the bed.

"Is the monster coming back?" she asked, her voice slurring as she began to sink into dreamland.

The question brought the memories back- Central Park, night falling just as they were nearing the end of the Ramble. She used to love it there- the little stone bridge over the river and he remembered stopping to read all the plaques on the benches. It had been a good day.

But then the green mutant had shown up out of nowhere. Casey hadn't even seen it until Robyn had screamed and pulled away from him, running toward the exit. His memory of the mutant was blurry. He remembered thick green vines that had coiling around her as she kicked and screamed, remembered the pair of them melting into the dark woods. In less than thirty seconds, she had vanished.

He had searched the thicket of the Ramble for hours, going off the path into the thick green woods, blindly searching in the direction the thing had left. At dawn, he found her curled up in the mouth of a culvert. Her purple sweater was soaked in a green goo, and the air temperature was so low that she did not stop shivering for nearly an hour. Ever since that day, she had been plagued by nightmares and her outgoing nature had withered away. She clung to Casey when they were in public and made avoided speaking to anyone, even people she was familiar with.

That had been the first encounter Casey had with mutants, and it certainly was not his last.

She repeated her question, timidly, and he broke free of the memory. "No," he promised, kissing her temple softly, "It's not coming back."

With a low sigh, Robyn snuggled against him. Her breath evened. He waited a few minutes before poking her tentatively. She mumbled lightly, but didn't squeal. Casey hugged her gently before untangling himself from her grasp. He pulled the thin comforter up to her cheeks and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back soon," he whispered.

Creeping past his father's room, Casey snuck into his room and pulled his harness on. He was late, so he skipped the facepaint and lowered his mask as he slipped out the window into the night.

The cool night air licked his face as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Dark clouds gathered overhead, blocking the stars. Only the moon shone through the grey curtain. Fog hung on the streets.

Finally, the Duane Reade at the corner of Steinway and Broadway came into site. It was nearly four stories high, so the rooftop was invisible from the eyes of a random bypasser. The perfect meeting place. A familiar green figure waiting on the roof, absently spinning one of his sai over his fingers. Casey landed on the rooftop, and the turtle sheathed his weapon. "You're late, Casey," he challenged, uncrossing his arms.

"Family stuff," Casey replied with a shrug, lifting his mask. "You know how it is."

Raph's face softened a little. The turtle was the only one who knew what had happened to Robyn. "Her insomnia coming back?"

"Sorta. She only went to sleep after I laid down with her for half an hour or so. The nightmares are getting worse, too" Casey said after a moment, looking away. "She's been waking up screaming the past few nights. I- I think she might need to see a shrink, but… it's hard to find a good one, y'know? Especially one who'd believe her about the whole 'being kidnapped by mutants' thing." He paused, and looked over at Raph. "When you texted me last night," he said, "You said you saw Snakeweed."

"I didn't see him," Raph admitted, "but on the way back from patrol, Mikey fell into some of that green gunk he gives off."

"Where?"

"It was down Steinway, over by the- Casey, look out!"

His instincts screamed, and the teen was moving even before Raph's warning. A heavy mace swung smashed into the concrete, missing Casey's head by inches. The teen rolled, and sprang to his feet. The first thing he noticed about their assailant was its size. The mutant was at least as tall as Splinter, and unlike the rat, he was completely ripped. The mutant moved the iron mace with grace and finesse, easily resting it upon its armored shoulder. A mask very similar to the one the brothers wore lay nestled on its face just above its hideous beak. "Casey, get out of here," Raph ordered, moving between the two of them.

"And leave you to fight this thing alone?" he retorted as he lowered his mask.

A low chuckle hissed from the new mutant's throat. At the low, gravelly sound, a thrill of fear spread through Casey's gut but he crushed it down like a tin can. Before he could put on a show of bravado, the mutant spoke.

"Long time, Raphael," it rumbled, tilting its head. "Or, perhaps, not so long. What is it, one, two months? And already, you have a new partner... Casey, wasn't it?"

"Your fight is with me, Slash," Raph said, raising his sai, "Casey isn't a part of this."

With a casual motion, the mutant batted Raph into the chimney. The brick work crumbled, falling all over Raph like cigarette ash. "I'll deal with you later, Raphael," it said, "but for now, I have business with-"

Casey charged. Feinting to the left, he twisted right and brought his hockey stick around in a vicious strike. The hard wood struck one of the mutant's protruding spikes. Painful vibrations traveled up his arm even as the spike snapped off. The hockey stick clattered to the rooftop. He scowled and reached back for another weapon. Slash moved and Casey felt the mutant's meaty hand close around his throat. With a jerk, the teen was pulled off his feet.

Casey flicked out his taser, only to feel himself get thrust over the edge of the roof. Feeling his entire weight resting on his neck, Casey reached out with both hands and grabbed the mutant's arm. trying to get his weight off his neck. Trying to gasp in a breath, Casey glanced down. A four-story drop to the street below, with only the concrete overhang to the store's entrance as a possible break. Ice water filled his chest, and Casey went still. If the thing dropped him, he was a goner.

Fear threatened to paralyze him, but he struggled anyway. A strangled yell erupted from Raph's throat. "Slash, stop it!"

"So," the mutant said tightly, "You care more about a pathetic human you've known for barely a month than for your own family." Slash's arm shook. "To him, you are a freak, a monster. Filthy humans will never accept you... never love you."

Raph's footsteps tapped across the rooftop. "Casey's not-"

The mutant's grip tightened. Casey couldn't hold back a choked gasp. Raph's motion stopped. Casey tried to hold his breath, but he couldn't think. His breath hissed in and out of his lungs like a broken tea kettle. "If his life means so much to you" Slash said, "then forswear your family and come with me."

A thousand things crowded Casey's throat- cursing, threats, pleas, defiance. None of them made it out. He knew what Raph's answer to that question would be. What it could only ever be.

"It will be the way it was, Raphael. The way it should be."

"You're asking me to abandon-"

"You have three seconds."

"Give me your word first," Raphael challenged, his voice hard as the concrete below, "Swear you won't hurt Casey, April or my brothers!"

"Your one moment and you wasted it," Slash said.

Then he was falling.


	2. Chapter 2

Gasping in a breath, he bent his knees just as his feet hit the rooftop below. The momentum sent him over the edge into another two-story drop. Shaken out of his surprise by the jolt, Casey twisted in midair and circled his arms around his head. He'd already had a head injury that stuck him with a metal plate nailed to his skull. He couldn't take another severe hit to his head.

He smashed through the cloth roof of a convertible parked on the curb. His left side slammed into the apex of the front seat. Pain shot up his ribs. As the car alarm blared, he rolled forward into the driver's seat and lay for a moment in a heap of tangled limbs and broken wood.

With a moan of pain, Casey sat up. His side pulled, and instinctively, his hand went to it. A dull pain throbbed across his ribs. Casey grit his teeth at the feeling and quickly felt the area. A hiss of relief slipped through his teeth when he found there were no abnormal bumps or caves in his side and that the pain was bearable. Not broken, then- only bruised. Probably. And his spare hockey stick had snapped in the fall.

His gaze travelled up, back to the roof of the Duane Reade. A low whistle flew from his throat. A four story drop. He was lucky that his fall had been broken by the overhang.

"Kid? Hey, kid- are you OK?"

"Man, that's my car!"

Turning, Casey saw the crowd gathering around him. He climbed off the car and spread his hands. "Yeah, I'm fine-"

Then he remembered why he'd fallen in the first place.

Leaping to his feet, Casey shoved through the burgeoning crowd and ran around to the back of the building. Overhead, something broke. Bricks thudded to the ground around him as a large, dark shadow darted over his head. Easily clearing the street, it landed on the rooftop across from the Duane Reade and vanished into the dark. "Raph!" he yelled, climbing onto a nearby dumpster. From there, he jumped onto the bottom rung of the fire escape with both hands. Casey pulled himself up, hissing as he felt his ribs tug. He hauled himself up the ladder and climbed the rest of the way onto the rooftop.

No one was there. "Raph!" he shouted. His voice was muffled by the sound of the building commotion below. Casey ran to the side and peered over. Police were already at the scene, and he quickly stepped back. His foot kicked against his fallen hockey stick, and he quickly pushed it back into its holster before he got his cellphone out. He he paused for a moment when he saw the new crack running down the side, but when he flipped it open, the screen lit up. Raising his hockey mask, he lifted the phone to his ear and called Raph's number. He waited as it rang. And rang, and rang. No response.

Again, he initiated the call, drumming his fingers impatiently against the wall, fidgeting as much as his throbbing side would let him. "Come on, Raph… pick up."

And again, no response. Worry fidgeted down his nerves. Raph always picked up. Even in the middle of a fight just to prove that he could still kick ass even while multitasking. And his interaction with their attacker had indicated a shared history.

Maybe the reception was bad. This was an old phone. Maybe it just needed a better signal. Lifting his phone, Casey moved to the edge of the roof.

His foot kicked into something lying on the ground. A faint metallic scrape sounded across the rooftop. Looking down, he saw Raph's twin sai glinting faintly in the moonlight, bound together by a strip of red cloth.

Casey knelt. Pocketing his phone, he reached out and gently lifted the sai. His heart slamming against his throbbing side. Raph had never removed his bandana before, and because there was no knot on it, Casey could only conclude that it had been deliberately untied. That Raph had been unable to stop it from happening.

Pulling it free of the sai, Casey wound the red cloth around his hand. The dark shadows playing across his hands gave the red ribbon the look of wet blood. Casey closed his fist and felt the red cloth bunch into a ball. Raph was alive. He had little proof of it, but there was no body and Raph's mask was not bloodstained. However, it had been deliberately left as a message.

He looked down Broadway, in the direction the thing had gone. Casey started in that direction, but paused. He had no idea what he was walking into. And normally, that wouldn't have bothered him. Casey was used to making things up as he went along. But Raph was the toughest fighter Casey knew, and this thing had taken him down, might even have him hostage. He paced anxiously, and a growl of frustration broke from his throat. But he did not follow. Pulling his phone from his pocket with his free hand, he flicked it open and scrolled the cursor down his contact list, to Leonardo's number.

Leonardo picked up instantly. "Casey, what's up?" His voice was calm, but a slight undertone of tension ran through it. As if he already knew.

The words caught in his throat. Casey squeezed his eyes shut and tried to spin his roiling emotions into a coherent sentence. "Leo... we're... "

"What happened?" Leo asked, his voice cold as moonlight. Something rustled in the background.

"We were ambushed by this- new mutant. I think- I think he took Raph."

Over the connection, metal scraped along metal. "What do you mean, it took him? How-" Leo's voice cut off. A low, tired exhale hissed over the connection. But when he spoke, his voice was calm, even. "Casey, where are you?"

"Roof of the Duane Reade in Astoria. Corner of Broadway and Steinway."

"We're heading over now. Stay put and wait for us," Leo ordered.

The connection silenced. Putting the phone away, Casey leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. Burying his head in his palms, he forced himself to take a few deep breaths. He could not afford to get pnuemonia.

His hand clenched, tightening against the red cloth still wound around his hand. Casey sighed, his breath hitching as the pain in his side pulsed. Thunder rumbled overhead, then light drops of rain began to fall around him.


	3. Chapter 3

Scarcely ten minutes passed before there was a slight thud on the rooftop. Casey got to his feet. as Leo stood from his crouch and strode over. "What happened?" the turtle asked, the rain dappling his blue mask.

"Raph and I were on patrol when this mutant showed up and attacked us. He took Raph."

"Took Raph?" Leo repeated, his eyes narrowing.

"He wanted Raph to run with him. He said that they used to be partners."

Leo stilled, every tendon in the turtle's body tensing. "What did he look like?" Leo asked.

"I didn't get a good look at him," Casey confessed, "He was big. Very big" The teen paused. "If I didn't know better… I'd say he was another turtle," he prodded.

"Are you sure?" Leo asked, "Did you get his name?"

The name came easily. "Slash."

Leo had already pressed his T-phone against his ear. "Come on, Donnie, pick up!" he muttered, half-turning away from Casey.

It rang through. With a tense sigh, Leo tried again.

"Where are Mikey and Donnie?" Casey wondered, wincing as his side twinged.

"Out scavenging," Leo said, "Donnie needs a certain part for a new project. I called them right after you called me, but they haven't…" he shook his head and looked back at Casey. "Did you see which way Slash and Raph went?"

Casey gestured. "Steinway." At the motion, his side locked up and Casey could not squelched gasp that tore from his throat. Leo stepped forward. "You're injured," he said.

"I am not," Casey lied, straightening his back, "I'm fine."

The turtle's arms went akimbo. "Casey, I have three injury-prone younger brothers. You're not fooling me."

For a moment, they stared each other down. When Leo showed no sign of relenting, Casey exhaled and raised his hands. "You got me."

"Can I- look at it?" Leo asked uncertainly.

Taken aback, Casey paused. "Sure, I guess," he said after a moment.

He made no move to approach Leo. The turtle coughed, then walked to Casey's side and felt the area. Even though the contact sent a ripple of pain across his chest and Casey could feel the strength coiled in Leonardo's muscles, the turtle's touch was gentle.

"What happened?" Leo asked as he moved his hand across Casey's torso.

"Slash threw me off the roof," Casey said.

Leo's head shot up. "What?" he asked, "That's a four-story drop!"

"Fall was kinda broken by the overhang and a car," Casey admitted, "but yeah."

"It doesn't feel like they're broken or cracked," Leo said, pulling his hand away. "You were lucky."

"Yeah, whatever," Casey said, lowering his hockey mask. Restless energy crackled down his spine. "When are your brothers going to get here? We need to go."

"I don't know," Leo said, crossing his arms behind his back, "Neither of them- hold on a minute, Casey, you're not going anywhere. You're hurt and Slash-"

"Has Raph," Casey said, "Besides, it's not-"

"He threw you off the roof, Casey," Leo said, "That's a four story drop. You should be dead."

"I'm not just going to let some freak run off with my friend," Casey snapped.

"You're going to have to, because you are in no condition to-"

The T-phone's distinctive ringtone cut the air.

The turtle whipped his phone out so fast it almost went flying from his hand into the darkness. "Mikey, where are you?" he demanded.

"Hey, bro!" The younger turtle's voice said through the speakers.

"Mikey, this isn't-"

"Yeeaah, about that bro- we're kinda in a pickle."

"Is it Slash?" Leo asked, making his way to the edge of the rooftop.

An explosion filtered through the speakers. "Dude, no- it's this weird Kraang alien brain thing. Well, that's what they all are but this one is big and Donnie says-"

In the background, Casey faintly heard Donatello's voice shouting. "Got to go now, bro, I love you see you soon bye!"

The connection cut off. Leo stared at the phone, indecision scrawled on his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, then put the phone away. "Go get some rest, Casey," he said, "You're only going to slow me down."

"I'm a hockey player, Leo," Casey snapped, "I've broken my ribs and gotten up to play before." Not for very long, he admitted to himself, but a few bruises was nothing compared to the excruciating pain of broken ribs. "This guy took Raph down. No way you can handle him on your own."

"I can't just drag you into-"

"Raph would do the same thing for me," Casey said quietly.

Leo sighed, and kneaded the skin between his eyes. "We don't have time for this," he said in a rushed breath, "But if you slow me down, I will knock you out and leave you on the side of the road."

"Fair enough," Casey said, following Leo as he climbed down the fire escape. Skirting the crowd, they crossed the alleyway and took to the rooftops.

As they went, Casey forced himself to take deep, even breaths. If Leo thought Casey couldn't keep up, he'd make good on his threat. He winced with every breath, but focused on keeping up with Leo. The turtle was silent. His T-phone was out again, and Casey could see that he was monitoring the Raph's location. For several minutes, they traveled in silence, each stuck in their own thoughts. Then Leo stopped, his body twisting into a ready stance. "Leo?" he asked, coming up behind the turtle.

"Do you smell that?" the turtle asked, drawing his swords in a single, fluid motion.

Casey took a deep sniff of the air. It was thin, but he smelled the metallic aroma of blood hanging in the air. "Yeah," he said, getting his last hockey stick out, "I smell it."

"There," Leo said, pointing with his blade. Casey followed the gesture and saw a red arrow painted onto the side of a brick building on the far wall ahead of them. "It's fresh," Leo said, starting forward, "the rain has barely washed it away."

The heavy smell got noticeably thicker as they crossed the rooftop. Glancing down, the turtle recoiled. Just below the arrow, a dead pigeon lay on the rooftop, its neck twisted to the side. A scrap of orange ribbon was tied around its neck.

"This Slash character is one twisted sister," Casey muttered as he followed Leo in the direction the arrow had led them.

They found two more dead pigeons, both with colored ribbons in blue and violet tied around their necks. "This guy really has it out for you," Casey said as they climbed to the ground, obeying the third arrow.

Leo sensed his unspoken question. "Slash was mutated right before you showed up," he said after a moment, his voice delicately choosing the wording, "He thought that Raph would be better off without the three of us. Last time, he almost killed Mikey and Donnie."

The teen frowned. Something about that didn't sound right. "And he was Raph's partner?" Casey asked.

"No," Leo said, his voice tight.

"But Slash said-"

"It's not exactly my story to tell."

Taking the hint, Casey fell silent.

Reaching the ground, Casey saw a manhole cover with a large red X marked on it.

"Of course," Casey sighed as Leo lifted the manhole cover, "It's the sewers."

"You're not obligated to stay, Casey."

"I'm here to help Raph. Doesn't mean I have to enjoy running around in a pitch-black, freezing, actual shithole," Casey said.

Leo slid the cover aside and began to drop down. "When we get down, no talking unless necessary."

"Got it," Casey said, crouching by the hole. Leo dropped down into the darkness. Casey climbed down the ladder, and with a last glance around, pulled the manhole cover back into position.


	4. Chapter 4

The rusty-sweet stench and the bone-splintering cold of the sewers was nothing new to Casey, nor were the drafts wafting from the many branches of the tunnels. The darkness was. While Casey was well-acquainted with the sewers, he had never been down here without a strong flashlight before. Ignoring the slight squelching of his own footsteps and the rustling of unseen cockroaches and rats, he walked behind Leo in silence. Leo seemed to have no problem navigating in total darkness. The only evidence Leonardo was even there was the feeling of a still, strong presence in front of him.

An ominous boom behind them echoed through the pipes. "Front," Leo said in a tense whisper as the faint rasp of his swords pulling free of their sheaths echoed in the stillness.

Casey freed his second hockey stick, careful not to let it tip forward and hit Leo. He adjusted the grip just as there was another distant boom, followed by an odd clicking.

His foot brushed against something hard in the water, a brick or something. Then he felt it move.

The drafts wafting up the tunnels around them slowed, then stopped. There was another rumble, then a crack overhead. Casey dove to the side and slid forward with a grunt as his ribs throbbed again. Something heavy hit the ground behind him, sending a light breeze rushing along Casey's leg.

Still as a pond on a windless night, Leo's presence came up next to him. "Casey, wait," he ordered. Casey shifted, and felt a row of sharp pricks pierce the sturdy denim casing his leg. He immediately recognized the feeling of razor wire. "Looks like he was expecting us."

"There's an entire web of it," Leo whispered.

Despite the cold, sweat ran down his back. He let the fear that threatened to freeze him bleed from his gut into his chest, into his lungs, into a low laugh. "I needed a shave anyway."

"You don't have any facial hair," Leo said with a note of irritation, "Don't move."

Too late, he sensed the turtle's intention. "Wait, Leo!" Casey cried as the twin katana sliced the air. The superior steel chopped right through the barbed wire with a metallic twang. Instantly, the severed wires thrashed, hissing like angry snakes as they whipped through the air. Leo cried out in pain and Casey heard the sharp points cut the turtle's tough skin. For Casey, the mask, his thick gloves and shoulder pads took most of the damage, but he felt the wires slice into the skin on his neck and through his shirt in a few places, and he couldn't hold back a shout.

There was another rumble from the ceiling behind them. Leonardo and Casey leapt forward, barely clearing the quivering wire, as a heavy stone slab fell behind them.

Fighting the urge to press his hand to the side of his neck, Casey stood. As he did so, he was certain to collect his fallen hockey stick. Next to him, Leo exhaled.

"I don't think he wants us here," Casey said, at the same time Leo asked, "You OK Casey?"

"I'm fine," he assured the turtle, "But you-"

"They're just cuts, Casey."

"Maybe so, but they hurt like hell," Casey grumbled, the memory of cuts and scratches that had long healed flaring for a moment under his skin.

"I think we'd best break out a light after all," Leo said at last, "With all this noise, Slash probably knows where we are already, and he's clearly been waiting for us. He knows we're coming, and without light, we're just going to walk into booby traps."

Leaning his hockey stick against the wall, Casey pulled a small flashlight from one of his pouches and switched it on, internally frowning at the dimness of the light. "Hey, Leo," he said, "give me a hand?"

"What?" Leo asked as his swords slid back into their sheaths.

Casey got out a flattened roll of duct tape with his free hand. "Tape this to my left arm, will ya?"

He felt Leo take the roll from his hand. "Your left?" Leo asked over the croak of unfurling tape, "Aren't you left-handed?"

"Exactly. It'll be pointed at whatever I'm doing. Leave the switch clear."

Leo worked quickly. Casey flipped the switch off, then on again in satisfaction. "Thanks, Leo." In the dim light, he could see the cuts and scores etched into Leo's shell.

Together, they advanced into the tunnel. Careful to keep the light aimed low, Casey shone the light in front of Leo, checking for trip wires and other snares. However, the light could not pierce the surface of the water they waded through. Casey's spine stiffened whenever his foot knocked against a rock or piece of trash under the water.

Time passed at a crawl. Every time Casey's light turned up a tripwire or another web of razor wire, they lost time maneuvering around them. However, it wasn't too difficult to get through them, which bothered Casey. There were gaps just large enough for Casey to squeeze through with maybe a scratch or two. Leo could not make it through the gap without the metal barbs slicing deep into his skin or along his shell, especially since he was forced to avoid the thin trip wires. Since his hands were protected with thick gloves, Casey tried to bend the wire aside to let Leo pass, but it was stretched too tightly for him to move it.

Slowly, the cuts built up on Leo's shoulders, barely having time to scab over before being torn open again. Leo said nothing in complaint, but Casey could see the tension in Leo's eyes, hear his ragged breathing echoing around the small tunnel. He could not help but be impressed that the turtle could keep going. He knew from experience how painful barbed wire could be, and he'd only been scratched once or twice. Leo was willingly walking into it over and over again.

They had just passed the fourth or fifth web when something grated under Casey's foot. "Move!" he yelled. Something small and light rained from the walls. He ducked, bringing his arms up to protect his chest and trusting his mask to absorb the damage to his head. Leo moved. He heard a whirring noise, then a chink chink chink sound. Something pounded into his blocker. Two more grazed him, one slicing into his knee as it went, the other biting his neck.

In seconds, it was over. Casey lowered his arms. Three twisted metal shards protruded from his blocker. Next to him, Leo hissed in pain as he tugged a piece of shrapnel from his calf. Flashing his light around them, Casey saw twisted metal shards, rusty nails and screws scattered on the ground.

"Thanks," Casey said.

"Sorry I couldn't get them all," Leo grunted as he experimentally took a step. "We need to keep moving."

Through the web before them, Casey could see the walls of the tunnel fade away. A chamber lay ahead. Open space- and possible ambush. Squeezing through the web after Leo, they crept into the chamber. Shining his light around the darkness, Casey could see three tunnels arranged like a T ahead. "Which way, fearless leader?" he asked.

Leo had already pulled out his T-phone. Casey peered over his shoulder, and watched the turtle adjust the map of the sewers. "...straight ahead."

They had moved halfway across the intersection when a loud noise ground under their feet. As the earth opened up beneath them, the turtle's hand shot out and slammed into Casey's chest. Casey screamed. For a moment, everything faded in the face of the blinding white feeling that concussed through his chest. Reaching out on pure instinct, Casey locked his hands around Leo's wrist and pulled. Stumbling back, the pain in his chest hot and wet, he pulled the turtle down with him. They fell back into the sewer water together. Casey felt the water's cold fingers invade his skin. For a moment, he lay in the water, sucking in deep breaths as the echoes of pain fluttered along his ribs.

"Casey, I-"

He forced himself to sit up. "I'm Ok," he panted, biting back the whimper in his voice. "It's OK. You did what you had to do. Thanks." Taking another deep breath, he realized there were tears in his eyes. Reminding himself that Leo couldn't see through his mask, Casey let his breath out slowly and stood, trying to hide the wobble in his joints. At the unconvinced look on Leo's face, Casey made a show of examining the flashlight, which had been protected from the water by the strips of duct tape holding it to Casey's arm. "I'm OK," he repeated, seeing the unconvinced look on Leo's face.

Together, they peered into the pit. The drop, nearly twice as long as Casey was tall, ended in sharp metal stakes. Casey let out a low whistle. "That would've been fun," he said as they skirted the pit carefully. Leo turned to say something, then stumbled. Two faint metallic twangs snapped in the stillness. They were quickly followed by the loud scrape of metal on concrete and another hail of metal shards. Two rusty refrigerators swung at them, threatening to knock them into the pit. Leo leapt forward, deflecting most of the metal shards with his spinning blades.

Casey ducked under the swinging refrigerators, feeling them breeze over the back of his head. He stopped rolling and got to his knees, realizing he had entered the western passage. Something rolled underfoot. Casey spat a curse when the ceiling overhead rumbled. A heavy stone slab crashed to the ground just as Casey threw himself away from the sound, cutting him off from Leo.


	5. Chapter 5

"Casey!" Leo shouted.

Faintly, Casey's voice leaked through the mess. "-fine, Leo."

Leo drew his swords. "Casey, get back- I'm going to cut the stone."

"You can do that?" Casey asked.

"Guess we're going to find out," Leo said, adjusting his grip on the hilts. Master Splinter hadn't finished teaching him how to cut stone yet, but he remembered the lessons well enough. It was a matter of the proper form, the proper attitude.

"Wait, you don't know?"

"Stand back!" Leo ordered. Then he leapt into the air and maneuvered his blades into a diagonal slash along the stone. Immediately, he knew he that he had failed. His form was all wrong, and his breathing was not properly attuned.

The swords scored along the stone. Sparks flew, illuminating the light score along the grey stone. Leo landed on his feet, swaying as the pain in his calf flared again. That was it? he thought, looking at the small score in dismay.

Casey's muffled voice bled through the stone, but Leo adjusted his grip, and tried again. Again, the solid stone repelled his blades. He landed hard, then limped to the crack between the slab and the archway. He crouched to speak through the crack as he sheathed his swords. "I- I can't. I'm sorry, Casey."

There was movement on the other side. He could hear Casey's gear clacking together softly. "That's fine," Casey said, his voice thick with false bravado. "I'll just go this way, cut around, and meet you back at the next intersection. Cheesecake."

Leo accessed the map on his T-phone. "It's a grid layout. Just three turns to the right."

"Gotcha." The teen paused. "…Leo?""

"What?"

"Don't wait up for me. Raph's the important thing here." Casey resumed his motion.

Leo exhaled and nodded, even though Casey couldn't see the motion. "You're right. Be careful, Casey."

A rough chuckle echoed through the silence. "Aren't I always?" Casey asked, his voice fading as he moved deeper into the sewers. The memory of a nearly identical exchange with Raph danced quickly across his mind. Leo stood, his left hand curling into a fist. Then he turned and continued down the tunnel.

Progress was slow, but steady. He was so used to the wire slashing at his arms that he barely felt the barbs digging into his skin anymore as he slipped through the webs of razor wire. When this was over, Splinter would scold him, but Leo knew he'd understand. Raph was more important.

When he traveled by himself, it was easier to become lost in the oppressive silence. Only the sounds of the sewer offered any reprieve- an occasional change in the current, a splash in the dark, or a droplet falling from above. Leo shivered in the cold air. He could no longer feel the tips of his fingers. He'd been down here long enough for his core temperature to start dropping. Shaking his hands out to clear the worst of the numbness, he kept moving. If it was bad for him, it had to be worse for Raph, who had been down here even longer. He couldn't stop now. Raph needed him.

After what Leo guessed to be ten minutes- although it felt longer- he reached the second intersection. Resting his hands on his knees, Leo considered waited for Casey. Leo did the math in his head. If it took him ten minutes to travel one side, it probably took Casey at least fifteen to go one block. And Casey had to travel three times as far as Leo.

At least half an hour more.

His own shivering was a reminder that Raph couldn't spare that time.

"Sorry, Casey," he muttered. He slashed an L into the stone by the tunnel to show Casey which way to go, then broke into a run.

He was aware of the wires biting into his shoulder, of the metal rain that hurled itself at him, but Leo kept going.

As he passed the third intersection, Leo noted a faint green glow ahead of him. The closer he got, the more he realized it was spilling around a corner. Leo frowned at the green light that seemed to come from nowhere. As he entered the hall, he felt a tripwire snap underfoot. Leo leapt to the side and rolled, narrowly avoiding the sharpened hubcaps that came spinning from the wall behind him.

In the green light, the hallway was clearly illuminated. There were no more traps. No tripwires, no webs of razor wire, and the turtle felt his eyes narrow in suspicion. He crept slowly along the hallway, his weapons extended and ready.

The hall ended in another intersection, and the green light brightened. It was from a canister of mutagen hanging from the ceiling, and Leo cast it an uneasy glance as he crossed the threshold of the chamber. Junk lay scattered around the room- coils of barbed wire, broken glass, stacks of hubcaps and stake.

And in the darkest corner lay a huddled bundle. Leo could make out the shape of his brother's shell. Sheathing his swords, he ran to his brother's side. "Raph," he whispered, grabbing the edge of his shell and turning him over gently.

When his hand touched the shell, he stiffened. The material brushing against his fingers was not the right texture to be his brother's shell.

An explosion rocked the room. Coughing, Leo fell back. Tear gas burned his eyes. Leaning against the wall, Leo staggered to his knees. The fake shell rocked on the ground, the cloths that had simulated the silhouette of Raph's limbs spilling out of it. The T-phone bounced out of the bucking shell and slid along the floor as Leo coughed.

The ground vibrated underneath him as a menacing thump echoed through the chamber. Once. Twice.

Heavy footfalls.

Leo's instincts screamed. He moved, just in time to avoid the heavy iron mace that smashed into the concrete. Leo crouched into a battle stance. "Slash," he hissed as the nictitating membrane slid over his eyes, "Where is my brother?"

The turtle straightened and rested the mace on his shoulder. Casual. Comfortable. A low chuckle rolled from Slash's throat. "Interfering yet again, Leonardo. Raphael is home now. He's safer with me than he could ever be with you." Slash leaned closer. "Raphael is my brother. Always has been. You're the extra here. He even said as much."

All the arguments he had even had with Raphael flitted through his brain. Raph had never said anything like that to his face. But he said many things to Spike. He could have said anything to Spike-

No. He wasn't going to go down that road. Raph and Leo didn't always see eye to eye, but he knew Raph loved him. That was enough for Leo.

"I think you have our places mixed up," Leo said steadily, pulling the anger and the fear, and the worry and the pain and forcing it into his muscles as he drew his swords.

Slash's eyes narrowed, and the mace was moving again. So was Leo. All the pent-up emotion burst from him in a yell as he launched himself at Slash.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I did not make it sufficiently clear in earlier chapters that Slash has and uses the ability to mimic Raphael's voice. This will be edited later.**

* * *

><p>As soon as he thought Leo was out of earshot, Casey let out a curse. That last dodge had caused the flashlight to go dark. "Come on you piece of shit," he muttered as he flipped the switch. It stayed dark. He felt the end of the flashlight with his right hand. The glass wasn't broken. He flicked his arm, and growled with the bulb stayed dark. Perhaps a connection was jarred loose or maybe the cheap dollar store batteries had finally died. It didn't matter. Casey couldn't see a damn thing in this darkness.<p>

It's so much easier to be afraid of the dark when you can't kill it, he thought as he rolled his shoulders, biting back a grunt as his chest pulled. He kept his right hand on the wall to keep himself on track. Without his flashlight, there was nothing to cut the darkness, and as a result Casey tripped several booby traps. After the third wire, he cautiously leaned against the wall, bleeding from several new cuts and his chest constricting so much he could hardly breathe.

_OK Jones,_ he thought, _this isn't working. _He freed his last stick from its holster. Extending it in front of him, he set off cautiously. Handling the stick took all his skill to prevent from tripping the wires. Even when he messed up, the hockey stick provided a distance between him and the trap- enough that he only needed to dodge a little in order to avoid the traps Slash had cooked up.

He couldn't help but notice that annoying and painful as they were, none of the traps were non-lethal. Slash wanted to fight them personally, he thought. No, Casey realized. He wanted to fight Raph's brothers. Casey had never been a part of the equation. That would explain why Leo had more trouble with the barbed wire than he did, Casey realized. it had been set with a turtle in mind, not a skinny teen.

Quickening his pace, he kept his right hand on the wall. He counted the turns, one, two, and he felt the tension leave his shoulders with every turn he made, but he was fully aware of the time slowly ticking away, even if he wasn't sure how fast it was draining.

Casey's introspection was interrupted when his stick clacked off something solid. He jumped back, expecting another trap to trigger. Nothing happened. Casey stepped forward and felt a rock skitter under his heel. Hesitantly, he moved the hockey stick forward a few inches. It came to a stop against what sounded like rock. He probed the darkness, and quickly determined it wasa barrier made of stone and earth.

A cave-in.

He backed up, fear tendrilling up his spine. He couldn't get to Leo this way. Leo wouldn't know Casey was trapped here. What if he got tired of waiting?

Letting out a long breath, Casey forced himself to suck in another deep breath even though it made his chest flare in pain. Leo wasn't supposed to wait for him, he told himself, forcing the fear out with his breath. They were here for Raph, and he was the priority here. Not Casey.

That didn't make it any easier to deal with the darkness.

Carefully, he retraced his steps, exasperation building in his shoulders. Every second he spent lost down here was a second he could be using to help Leo, to help Raph.

But no. He _had_ to get lost and hold everyone up.

Going off both memory, he was able to retrace his steps back to the last antechamber. He stepped to the center, and tried to get his bearings.

Then a shout echoed through the sewers. Such anger bled from the voice that he thought it was Raph.

No, he realized as the echoes faded. It was Leo's voice.

He started forward, and felt the floor sink under his foot.

"Shit-" he spat as he hear the very annoying screech of steel sliding over stone. Casey went low and to the side, only to run headlong into more barbed wire. Untangling himself, he staggered back.

A echo began to build. He stopped, and turned towards the strange sound. A wave of putrid water caught him at the diaphragm. Casey was instantly swept off his feet and down the gully. He fought the current, but within thirty seconds his head was under the water. Tumbling over and over, he lost all sense of direction.

Casey didn't realize he was falling until the water compacted into a stream. He sucked in a breath of the smelly sewer air just before he slammed into the ground.

He screamed. Falling into a coughing fit, he climbed to his knees. Cold water and warm blood dribbled from his mouth. Closing his eyes, Casey leaned against the wall, his pained panting interrupted by the occasional gasp.

Slowly, the pain faded to a manageable level. He forced his eyes open and staggered to his knees. If he wasn't lost before, he sure as hell was now. No matter. He'd figure this out. This wasn't the first time he'd been lost in the sewers. Gritting his teeth, Casey searched the ground for his hockey stick. He'd heard it clatter just before he hit the ground.

Just as his hand closed over it, he heard a voice call his name uncertainly. "Casey?"

Standing slowly, Casey brandished the stick as he discreetly shook the water out of his ears. "Who's there?" he asked.

"Casey!" Raph's voice said from the darkness, and it sounded so damn chipper that Casey frowned.

"Raph, where are you?" he asked, stepping toward the voice.

"Right here," Raph said, just before a metallic clank echoed around them. "How did you find me? Where are my brothers?"

"Mikey and Donnie had a Kraang thing to take care of. Something about a giant robot. And Leo…. well, we got separated."

"He's out there alone?"

"Leo can take care of himself," Casey said, "He-"

"Last time they fought, Slash kicked his shell," Raph said darkly, "he kicked all our shells."

"Leo's pretty tough," Casey said, "I think he-"

"Slash was mutated from my DNA," Raph said softly. Casey stilled. Raph's low voice continued, "He was raised from a baby in our home. He knows all our moves, all our strengths and weaknesses. It's going to take all four of us to beat him, and even then it won't be an easy fight."

Reaching out, Casey felt his fingers meet a metal grid. He curled his fingers through the bars. "Once we get you out, we can get Mikey and Donnie and kick his ass."

Something gently nudged Casey's hand. "We have to find Leo first," the turtle said quietly.

"I'll get you out," Casey said, feeling the joint where the metal met the stone. He found a crack, and grinned.

"How?" Raph asked.

The teen took out one of his explosive pucks and wedged it into the crack he had found. "You might wanna stand back," he said.

Lighting a match, he blinked at the fierce light, then lit the fuse. In the dim light, he could only make out Raph's silhouette. Casey moved away from the grate and covered his ears as the fuse met the puck.

As the explosion rocked the small room, Casey got a good look at Raph in the brief flash of light. A dark crust of dried blood clung to Raphael's head.

"Raph-"

"It's nothing," Raph insisted, stepping through the broken grate. "Slash knocked me out. That's all."

"That is not nothing," Casey argued. He of all people knew how damaged head injuries could be.

"Right, and that pained breathing means you're not hurt at all," Raph snarked from the darkness. Casey scowled.

"They're just a few bruises," he said, avoiding the issue, "You are bleeding."

"Casey, we don't have time for this. We need to find Leo."

Remembering the shout he had heard, Casey sighed. "Here, take these," he said, handing Raph his sai. He heard the turtle spin them over his hands before holstering them.

"Thanks, Casey," Raph said quietly as he began to walk away. Casey followed.

"Watch out for booby traps," Casey reminded Raph, "Leo got cut up pretty bad."

"Believe me, you don't have to remind me," Raph said, "Don't you have a flashlight?"

"Busted," Casey replied.

"How about that taser then?"

He paused. His first instinct was to protest- it was a weapon, not a flashlight- but then, they needed light. That was not an option.

Flicking out the taser, he ignited it. The faint blue light filled their world, and Casey realized he was breathing easer. "Not sure how long the batteries will last," Casey said, "You know where we're going, right Raph?"

"...not exactly. I mean, I have a general idea-"

Slash's laughter echoed through the sewers.

"...Let's try that way," Raph said, taking off at a run.

Casey felt something warm splatter onto his neck. He recognized the metallic smell, and sped up to keep pace with Raph.


	7. Chapter 7

Leo's strike clanged onto Slash's mace. Sparks flew. Slash twisted the mace around. Pain shot up Leo's left wrist and the sword clattered to the ground as Leo flipped over Slash's head. As he moved, he brought the single blade down. Again, the iron mace blocked his strike, but this time it pushed through Leo's attack. The mace struck him across the shoulder. Leo went flying. He twisted in midair. Bouncing off the wall, he feinted a strike on Slash's left. With a snarl, Slash went to block again. At the last moment, Leo changed the angle of his strike. Slash overshot in his attempt to block. Leo's sword raked down his arm. It was only a shallow cut, but blood sprayed.

Slash roared. He made a grab for Leo's leg as it flew over his head, but missed. Landing in a crouch, Leo brought his swords up.

They circled each other. "What's the matter, Leonardo?" Raphael's voice mocked, "Are you jealous? Angry? Heh, you should be." They met in another flurry of blows. Sparks filled the air before they fell apart, panting.

"Are you beginning to realize how much I never needed you? How much you only hold me back, pin me down? You don't understand me and worst of all you've never even tried."

This is not Raph, Leo reminded himself as he changed his grip on his lone sword, It's not Raph talking. But that didn't stop the kernel of doubt spreading through his chest. Channeling his building emotions, he leapt. Somersaulting over Slash's head, he landed on the other turtle's shell. Flicking his blade, he stopped it just short of the mutant's throat. "Where is Raphael?" he yelled.

The larger turtle threw himself backward. Leo jumped clear just before Slash's shell smashed against the wall. As the turtle picked himself up, Raph's voice hissed out in a low chuckle. "I'm away from you, and that's what matters, isn't it? I'm finally free. Free to follow my own nindo, free and out of your shadow!"

Dodging another swing from the mace, Leo brought his sword up, angling it so the blow slid off. "That's where you're wrong, Slash," Leo said, "Raph is many things, but he's not a victim. If he had a problem with something, he'd tell me. He wouldn't hide, he'd butt in and face it head-on!"

Jumping around Slash's strike, he sliced the other turtle's arm at the shoulder, feeling the metal scrape against Slash's bone. Slash didn't make a sound. His hand dropped from the mace and he stood, holding it with one hand as blood poured from his shoulder.

Leonardo landed, and crouched into a defensive stance. "If Raph thought I was holding him back, he'd confront me… maybe go off on his own," Leo said. "And he'd do so with an argument. Because deep down, Raph knows he needs us. I didn't hear everything he said to you, but I did hear things, Slash. Raph isn't exactly quiet." He met Slash's teal eyes. "Raph isn't much for saying it, but I know he loves us. Me included, even if we fight a lot. I love him, too. And anyone who tries to hurt my family-"

Laughter filled the small room, cutting Leo off. "Bold words," Slash said in his own voice, "But wrong. Wrong. Wrong." Slash's teal eyes darted around the room. "Raphael doesn't love you, he loves me. I am his brother. I am his _blood,_ I am his DNA and his flesh. You are an unrelated turtle who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I should have been there, not you." Slash's eyes narrowed. "It should have been me!" he shouted.

Launching forward, Leo aimed to clip the side of Slash's head. But then Slash's good hand flew up, swinging the mace like a twig. Leo tried to dodge, shocked that he was able to wield the large mace with one hand. He dodged the blow. But then Slash's other arm lifted with a snap.

A bolas flew through the air and wrapped around Leo, pinning his arms to his torso. Leo cried out, and hit the floor. His sword flew from his hand. The bolas was made from barbed wire,and Leo felt the razor edges digging into his arms, his shell.

Slash towered over him. With a kick, he rolled Leo over. "I got you first," he chuckled gleefully, "I got Splinter's favorite student."

"I'm not Splin-" Leo began, but Slash planted his foot on Leo's chest. Pressing down on the wire with his bare foot, Slash pushed the wire deeper into Leo's flesh and shell. He did not seem to notice the blood welling from his foot. "You're going to die last, Leonardo." Slash said with a chuckle, "You're going to die with their screams echoing in their ears."

"You won't," Leo said, "They're strong than-"

"I defeated you, Leonardo, and you are the strongest. I know everything. I know Michelangelo is the most flexible and agile and I need to corner him in a small space. I know Donatello is the physically weakest of the four of you, that he tends to... hyper-focus. All I have to do is be stronger, faster… better than all of you." He laughed. "Not hard. Not very hard at all."

Hot, stinky breath brushed Leo's face as Slash leaned down. "You can't save them, Leo," he said, his teal eyes locking with Leo's gaze, "You can't save-"

A small, black disk smashed into Slash's face and detonated. The mutant stumbled back with a roar of pain, clawing at his eyes.

Two familiar figures emerging from the dark tunnel. "Leo!" Raph yelled, and from the warmth in it, Leonardo knew it was truly his brother's voice.

"Raph! Casey!" he shouted.

Slash had recovered. He turned, standing tall as Raph and Casey spilled into the chamber. The mutant began to speak, but Raphael cut him off. "Casey, get Leo!" he ordered as he launched himself at Slash, sai already spinning in his hands.

The teen paused at the threshold, then ran towards Leonardo with a frustrated oath. Slash moved to intercept him. Then Raphael was there, standing between them. Crouching into a fierce stance, the green light played across Raphael's angry features as he closed in. His form was flawless and every motion crackled with energy. But Leo couldn't see that. He only saw the deep cut along his brother's head.

"What happened?" Leo asked Casey tersely as the teen knelt next to him.

"He was like that," Casey said as he produced a pair of wire cutters. Pressing one gloved hand against Leo's shell, Casey began to cut the wires between the gap in his fingers to keep the wire from lashing out. "Didn't know it was that bad, though." Leo flexed his numb arms, feeling the bolas fall away.

Slash fell back, and turned suddenly, lunging for Casey. Letting the wirecutters fall, the teen stood and brandished his hockey stick. Raphael moved to block.

Then the direction of Slash's strike changed. "I am sorry, Raphael," he said, and the strike knocked the turtle's knees out from under him. Raph fell with a cry. Slash grabbed the turtle's ankle before he hit the ground and threw him down the northern tunnel. There was a crash, then silence.

"Raph!" Casey yelled, lunging at Slash.

"Casey, no!" Leo yelled as he strained against the last coils of the bolas. Slash blocked Casey's strike, then closed his fingers around Casey's throat. The teen struggled, and Leo saw his taser flick out, only to fizzle out in a few tiny sparks. "Pathetic human!" Slash yelled, slamming Casey face-first against the wall, "What's so special about you?" The sound of his brother's voice grating from Slash's throat made Leo's vision sharpen.

He broke the last loop of wire. He dove for his fallen sword, but Slash kicked it away. Letting Casey fall, he turned to face Leonardo. "This ends now," Slash said.

Leo tried to move into a fighting stance, but his arms- bloody, cut up, abused- shook.

On the ground, Casey moved. He stumbled to his feet, leaning against the wall for support. A long crack split down his mask.

"I'm going to kill you, Leonardo," Slash said in Raphael's voice, closing in on Leo. The turtle punched. Slash caught the strike and forced him against the wall. "But not-"

Then Slash let him go with a surprised grunt. Leo stood, and saw Casey clinging to Slash's back, holding on with both hands. Slash threw himself back against the wall to crush Casey against the opposite wall.

Leo flew for his swords.

"Run, Leo!" Casey yelled as he jumped from Slash's back. Something glinting in his left hand as the teen grabbed the canister of mutagen hanging from the ceiling. His hand flashed up. Casey slashed the rope hanging the canister in place just as Slash grabbed his foot.

Casey twisted in midair and brought the glass canister smashing down on Slash's head. Mutagen sprayed everywhere. Leo ducked out of the way, collecting his swords as he went. With a roar, Slash fell to his knees, covered in the glowing green goo. Leo ducked down the north tunnel, a shout ripping from his throat. Casey followed at a run.

He paused only to throw Raphael's arm over his shoulders. Coming up beside him, Casey took Raph's other arm. Gritting his teeth, Leo forced his pain-wracked limbs to move. Together they ran, their way lit faintly by the mutagen sprayed across Casey's body.


	8. Chapter 8

Leo heard Casey's breath rasping in the darkness, but they could not stop. Twisting, turning, they ran until they were hopelessly lost. The maze wrapped around them like fog as Slash's roars of pain and fury continued. Something clacked in the darkness, and Leo heard Casey sprawl onto the ground with a splash and a curse. Raph's weight fell onto Leo's shoulders, sending twinges of pain crackling down his arms.

As Leo let Raph down gently, Casey got to his knees. Most of the mutagen had been swept off his sweatshirt by the current. A low whimper filled the silence. Casey coughed, then pulled his mask off and retched. The acrid smell of vomit filled the air. Casey swore, a distinct sob trembling in his voice as his breath came fast and shallow. "'M fine," he said, standing. In the faint light from the last of the mutagen crusted on Casey's cracked mask, Leo could see he was shuddering.

"Did it get on you?" Leo asked.

Casey was already shaking his head, but stopped with a hiss almost as he began to turn it. "Not my skin." His voice was several shades deeper, Leo noted, and remembered Slash grabbing Casey by the neck, choking him. Raph groaned. Leo turned to him, quickly assessing his brother's injuries. Raphael's green skin was covered with bruises and cuts. His head wound had reopened, and bright red blood gushed from it. Casey didn't sound like he was in very good shape either, Leo thought with dismay. He needed to get them both to Master Splinter, and fast.

"That was a stupid thing to do," Leo said after a moment, choosing to continue as if Casey were fine. There was nothing they could do now, and with Raph down he needed someone to watch his back.

"We're... alive, he's not... on us anymore," Casey argued. Leo's agitation increased when he realized Casey was having trouble speaking.

"No, instead he's in a more powerful mutant form! Slash was dangerous enough!"

"Don't know that," Casey said, "could be dead, or a puddle of goo." In the darkness, his breath reminded Leo of Mikey on the harmonica. His rough voice chafed against Leonardo's instinct like a cheese grater. Had Slash injured something in his throat? Nothing could be done until they got to Master Splinter, he reminded himself.

"...I don't think we'll be that lucky," he said quietly.

Casey lowered his mask, and did not reply.

Leo pulled out his T-phone, and opened the map of the sewers. "There's a manhole two blocks from here," he said after a moment of orienting the map, "We need to move." They lifted Raph together, and through their contact he felt Casey laugh, then wince.

As they began to move, a low moan pierced the silence. He felt his brother pull away in an attempt to stand on his own. Leo let him, but kept his grip on Raph in case he fell ."L...Leo?"

"Yeah, Raph?" he murmured as they limped through the sewers.

His brother's voice murmured quietly in the darkness, so soft that Leo couldn't catch it. He was about to ask him to repeat himself when he realized that Slash's roaring had stopped. Faint echoes growing behind them. Casey sped to a brisk trot. "Raph, can you run?" Leo asked.

Raph was already pulling away from Leo's grip, his limbs were still shaking. "I will," he said, stubbornness filling both words.

As the echoes pursuing them shaped into words, they broke into a run. The ground sloped up, and Leo kept his eyes on the map on the screen of his T-phone.

Light flared to his right. "What are you doing?" Leo hissed when he saw that Casey was lighting an explosive puck. The teen flung it down the first side tunnel they passed, and Leo heard it ricochet off the walls- twice, thrice- before it exploded. Sound and red light tore down the tunnel.

"Distraction," Raph grunted, "Nice, Casey."

The echoes behind them faded. For the moment.

"Left here!" Leo said, glancing back down at the T-phone just in time. Casey and Raph whirled around the corner, and Leo followed, putting the T-phone away. One more block.

Then he realized that Casey and Raph had fallen behind him by a few feet. Leo slowed his pace and let Raphael and Casey pass him, stationing himself in the rear. If Slash showed up, he could buy time for the others.

Something whizzed past Leo's head on either side and he shouted a warning. It flew over Raphael's head and clipped Casey's ear. The teen stumbled and clapped a gloved hand to the side of his head with a curse, but regained himself and kept running.

Raphael stopped suddenly, and Casey and Leo almost collided. "I feel the ladder," he said, "Casey, you go first."

The teen laughed, and his bruised voice was almost inaudible. "Nice try, Raph" the teen rasped, "You're the one who-"

Heavy breathing echoed around them. "Casey, go," Leo ordered.

"But-"

"Go," Leo and Raph shouted. There was a moment of silence, then the audible creaking of Casey's gear as he started up the ladder.

Leo pushed Raph meaningfully, but Raph remained in his position. "You too, Raph," Leo said firmly as he drew his swords.

"No," Raph said, "Slash is my mistake. I have to fix it."

In his mind's eye, Leo clearly pictured the tense set of his brother's jaw. He began to comment that Raph couldn't fix anything in his current state, then stopped. Slash's words ran through his head, and he wondered how much of Slash's beliefs were simply Raph's venting to a neutral confidant, and how much of it was the mutagen talking.

"What he does is not your fault, Raph," he said, choosing the words carefully as he sheathed one sword. He reached out and touched his brother's shoulder. "...and you don't have to fix this alone. We're here for you. Slash will go down, but right now we need to regroup. Casey's injured and we have to get him to Master Splinter."

In the darkness, Raphael's breath huffed out slowly. Above them, the manhole grated free. Faint light flowed into the tunnel, throwing Raphael's face into shadow as he rolled Leo's words in his head. "Fine," Raph said at last, "But you go up first."

"We don't have time to fight," Leo said, "Help Casey."

Grumbling under his breath, Raph obeyed. Leo began to follow, then paused. The nictitating membrane flared over his eyes. Slash was here. It was in the air.

"Back off, Slash," he warned, fully aware of the trembling in his arms as he drew his other sword, "You've lost."

A crazed laugh echoed in the darkness. "You can't stop me, Leonardo," Slash said, and his voice was higher, different. "You can't stop me anymore!" And Slash stepped into the faint light streaming from the surface.

Slash was still a turtle, still with the abnormal spikes sprouting from his body and the sharp teal eyes, but he was now about Donatello's height. Still unused to his new body, his movements jerked as he dragged the iron mace along the ground. The black mask was gone. Bare faced, he approached Leo, and the turtle wondered for a moment why Slash's face was so familiar.

Then he realized. Leo stepped back, horror and disbelief roiling in his gut. Slash chuckled, Leonardo's voice easing from a face that closely resembled his own face. Tying his black mask on, Slash stepped forward. Leo could almost believe he was looking into a dark mirror. "You can't say it anymore," Slash said, Raphael's voice easing from his throat before switching to Leonardo's. "You can't say that Raphael is not my brother!" Slash burst into laughter as he pushed in closer. Leo recognized his own laugh and Raph's mixed in with Slash's voice. "Mine, mine, mine!" the turtle repeated as his eyes narrowed.

Just as Slash charged, Leo darted up the ladder, striking out at the mutant as he did so. Slash followed, his movements uneasy, but swift. Leo burst out the manhole and rolled to the side, bringing his swords up. Casey and Raph were waiting. Kicking a lit hockey puck down the manhole, they tipped a dumpster over the manhole. There was a faint explosion, and a fading roar of pain. "Nailed him," Casey said in satisfaction.

"Another one, Raph," Leo ordered, sheathing his swords and running to the other dumpster in the alley. Leo's arms shook, but he and Raph managed to lift the second dumpster on top of the first. As soon as it was down, Raph stumbled to the wall and leaned against his, breathing heavily. Casey sat down and lifted his mask, leaning the back of his head against a chain link fence. His breathing didn't sound any better, Leo thought, and Raph's head wound looked even more serious now that he could see it in the dim streetlight.

"That's not going to hold him for long," Leo said, "We can't stay here."

Casey's eyes opened and he looked up at Leo. The turtle started back. The whites of Casey's eyes had big red flecks in them. "We're all banged up," he said, recovering quickly, "and we have to get to Master Splinter."

Raph chuckled, and helped Casey up. Leo didn't miss slight wince that ran down Casey's body. "It's a miracle, Casey," Raph said, "Leo actually admitted he was injured.

The teen snorted. Leo rolled his eyes. "Come on, you two," he said, jumping onto the stacked dumpsters, then the fire escape against the building.

He let Casey and Raph climb past him. With a last, uneasy look back at the dumpsters lying on the ground, they began to limp across the rooftops toward home.

Behind them, the stack shuddered.


	9. Chapter 9

They stumbled into the Lair. Kicking off his shoes, Casey sprawled onto the couch with a moan. Every inch of him was soaked in the filthy sewer water. That smell wasn't coming out of his clothes anytime soon. Lifting his mask, the teen let the cool, clean air brush his face as he breathed in through his nose. Raph flopped next to him. Leo stepped past them and made for the kitchen. It hadn't escaped Casey's notice that Leo hadn't been the same since he came out of the sewers. Leo was not a chatterbox by any means, but he was being unusually silent and pensive.

Wood slid on stone, and Casey started, expecting a booby trap before he remembered where they were. Splinter emerged from the dojo. At the sight of them- cut, bruised, beat up- the rat's face darkened. "My sons, what happened?" Splinter's voice cut out sharply. Casey settled deeper into the couch, and lowered his mask back over his face.

"Slash happened," Raph said, his voice tinged with anger. Reaching down, Casey peeled his socks off and tossed them over his shoes, then wiggled his toes in the clean air with a low sigh.

"Sit," Splinter ordered as he collected a first aid kit from the kitchen. Leo obeyed, sinking next to Raph with a small groan. The rat walked to the sofa and knelt by it. Casey inched away, the close proximity to the cool, stern mutant sending a spike of unease stabbing down his spine. Leo and Raph began to talk simultaneously, but Splinter quieted them with a look. "List your injuries," Splinter said, opening the kit, "Casey first."

It took a moment for the statement to register. Surprised, Casey turned his head. "Raph's bleeding, and Leo's arms-" he began, gesturing with a wince. Someone rubbed his throat with sandpaper.

The rat's gaze did not waver. "You are the most seriously injured."

"I am n-"

"Are too," Leo and Raphael chimed together. Casey crossed his arms and pulled his heels onto the couch.

"I've had worse," Casey said stubbornly, turning his face away.

Splinter reached out a clawed hand. Casey pulled away instinctively, the memory of another cold presence flaring in his brain, a cold presence with strong, fleshy hands circling his neck. For a moment, the tension in the room swelled.

"Casey," Raph said, and he had that 'I'm going to kick your butt in a minute because you're being stupid even for us' tone in it.

He exhaled and lowered his eyes. "Bruised ribs. Hit my forehead. Neck and head hurts," he muttered, aware of the rasp in his voice.

"Your head?" Splinter asked.

Casey nodded. "Had this," he said, tapping the cracked hockey mask lightly.

"How did you get that bruise on your neck?" Splinter asked.

Reaching up, Casey touched the tender area. His throat worked at the memory. "Slash."

"Did he strangle you?" Splinter asked bluntly.

"Yes."

At Casey's answer, Raph looked away. Splinter cycled through a few more questions, all of which Casey answered with a single word. When Splinter stopped asking questions, Casey was relieved for a moment, thinking that his turn was over.

Then the rat pulled a stethoscope from the kit. "No," Casey said, crossing his arms defensively, "I am not stripping."

"I apologize, Mr. Jones-"

"Don't call me that," Casey snapped.

"Casey!" Leo hissed, scandalized.

But Splinter did not seem offended. He met Casey's gaze again. "What shall I call you, then?"

"Casey," he said.

"Very well, Casey. You have been severely strangled and I need to make sure your heartbeat and breathing are normal.

Hoping for backup, he looked to Raph. The turtle crossed his arms, unconsciously mirroring Leonardo's pose. Casey sighed, and pulled off his sweatshirt, then the white t-shirt after a moment's hesitation. He left his long-sleeved shirt untouched.

A frown twitched on Splinter's face. "It needs to touch your skin to work properly," he said, "Your shirt is too thick to conduct the sound. If you raise it a little-"

"No," Casey said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. The phantoms of bruises and marks long faded burned under his skin, and he knew that some were still there. He didn't like looking at them himself. Letting others see them was unthinkable.

Casey couldn't do that. He couldn't let them see how weak he really was.

Splinter and Casey stared eye to eye for a moment. After a moment, Splinter put the stethoscope down. "If you feel that strongly," he said at last, "but may I offer a compromise?"

He cocked his head, indicating to the rat that he was listening. "I can reach under the cloth without lifting it off." Casey frowned. He didn't really like that option either, but before he could object, Splinter continued. "It is either that, or you get looked at by a doctor."

Panic shot down his spine. There were a lot of reasons why it wouldn't work. Splinter seemed to sense it, and gave Casey a wan smile. "I will know if you do not go," he said. Casey could not doubt him.

Mentally cursing out the rat, Casey gave a curt nod and uncrossed his arms. Splinter picked up the stethoscope. Casey started when Splinter's hand crept up his shirt. The gentleness of the touch, coupled with the cold steadiness of Splinter's presence, felt wrong. Someone so hard should not feel so soft and gentle. Someone hard should… feel hard.

"How did you bruise your ribs?" Splinter asked.

"Fall," Casey answered curtly. He felt the cold disk slide over his skin- over his scars. It came to rest just to the left of his sternum, then after a short pause, slid to the right.

"How far?"

"Roof."

"Four stories," Raph corrected quietly.

Splinter moved the stethoscope lower down his chest and Casey couldn't keep in a pained gasp when it pressed against his chest. "I will need to listen to your back as well," Splinter said as he pulled his hand away.

"Why?"

"To hear your lungs and make sure you are breathing correctly."

For a moment, Casey considered refusing. Then he remembered the rat's threat, and with an irritated grumble, he climbed off the couch and knelt in front of Splinter. He closed his eyes when he felt the cold metal disk creep up his back. "Lean forward," Splinter's cool voice said. Casey obeyed, his mind flashing back to a different kind of mood entirely- screaming and hard leather bashing against his lower back.

When the gentle touch came again, even though he had braced himself for it, he flinched. It felt wrong. Wrong wrong wrong-

"Hm," Splinter said. Casey felt the stethoscope come to rest between his spine and his shoulder blade.

"What?" Raph and Leo asked together.

"Take a deep breath, Casey."

He obeyed.

"Have you been coughing up blood?" Splinter asked.

"...No?" Casey said. He didn't think so, at least.

"It sounds like you have a lung contusion," Splinter said as he moved the stethoscope, "Which can be a serious condition.

"What's a lung contusion?" Raph asked.

"A bruised lung," Splinter said, "Probably from the fall."

"You…can bruise those?" Casey asked.

"I highly recommend that you go to a hospital, Casey," Splinter said, finally removing his hand from under Casey's shirt, "You need care that I cannot give to you."

"Just a bruise?" Casey said, sitting back on the couch, "I'll live."

Splinter's brow furrowed. "They can be fatal if they are not properly treated," he said, "At the very least, you need oxygen.

"I will take care of that," Casey said, choosing his words carefully. He was thinking of the oxygen canisters they sold at Duane Reade. They were somewhat expensive- there went a chunk of his paycheck- but cheaper than a visit to the doctor and a far, far better alternative than having to explain to his Dad what he did at night. It wouldn't go over well.

With a last thoughtful hum, Splinter moved on, but not before pressing some pills and a small bottle of water into Casey's hands. "Take them both," he said, "It will help the pain."

Reluctantly, he lifted his mask. Unscrewing the lid, Casey almost choked on the cool water. HIs throat burned and spasmed, but he managed to get both pills down without spraying water everywhere. Something light hit his chest, with a command of "Clean your face." Picking it up, Casey realized it was one of those alcohol wipes. He tore it free and began to wipe his skin as Splinter said, "Raphael. You next."

"Me? Why me?" the turtle demanded, then wilted under his father's gaze. He crossed his arms and looked away. "Deep cut along the back of my head, buncha cuts and bruises… Slash wasn't interested in hurting me. You should really be looking at Leo."

"All I have are a few cuts and bruises," Leo retorted, "You, on the other hand-

"Am perfectly fine, you're just stubborn-"

"Oh, I'm stubborn? Well you're-"

"_Yabero!"_

Both turtles quieted.

"Raphael, your concern for Leonardo is admirable, but your injuries are not mild." The rat's hand traced gently up his son's cheek. Raph closed his eyes, and did not argue again. To clear space for him, Leo scooted closer to Casey.

Taking a small flashlight from the kit, Splinter checked the responsiveness of Raph's pupils, then cleaned the wound, which was still bleeding. "Casey," he said, "Can you press on this for me?" the rat asked as he pressed a dressing against Raph's head. "You must not lift it," the rat said as Casey moved to sit next to Raph, "Hold it for fifteen minutes."

"Can do," Casey said, taking the dressing. His eyes felt heavy, but he blinked and shook his head fierely to wake himself up.

Splinter moved on to Leo. "Sensei-" Leo began, then stopped.

The rat touched Leo's arms with a frown. "What made these?" he asked.

"Razor wire," Leo said, "It- I couldn't get through."

Casey looked over, and for the first time realized how badly Leo's arms were cut up. Nearly the entire arm from shoulder to elbow was covered in deep, black-crusted cuts.

"It is very badly sliced up," Splinter said gravely, soaking cotton balls with rubbing alcohol, "Infection might be setting in already, especially considering our environment.

Leo hissed when Splinter dabbed at his arms. "I'm sorry Sensei, but it was too well-placed- I couldn't get through."

Splinter's hand rested on Leonardo's shoulder. "Do not be ashamed, my son," Splinter said, "You did what you could."

He watched the rat's hands move as he smeared antibiotic ointment onto Leo's arms. Gently. Casey looked away, confusion and envy blistering in his chest. Parents weren't supposed to be like this. Were they?

The moment was broken by a whoop down the tunnel. Casey started, and remembered in time that he was supposed to be stopping the blood seeping from Raph's head.

Mikey, Donnie, and April darted into the lair. "Who's awesome!" Mikey yelled, reaching out his hand.

"We are!" Donnie and April shouted, high fiving him at the same time.

Their shouts drilled into his brain and worsened the headache behind his left eye. Casey ducked his head with a scowl. "Keep it down, will you?" he asked.

Donnie's eyes widened and he ran over. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes flickering from Raph and the bloodied bandage Casey was holding to his head to Splinter bandaging his brother's arms.

"Slash happened," Leo said grimly.

"And he's still out there," Raph added.

"Slash?" April asked.

"Long story," Raph said gruffly, "point is, he's out to kill Leo, Donnie, and Mikey."

"I remember Slash," Mikey said, his blue eyes narrowing, "that dude was not chill."

"What happened to the Kraang robot?" Leo asked, "When did April show up?"

"Robot?" Raph asked.

Mikey's face lit up. "It was so cool!" he said, "It was this big Kraang thing and then the Newtralizer showed up and we were running for our lives then Donnie said 'maybe it has a weak spot' and I was like 'I will deploy the Mikeyinator and find out!" but that didn't go so well and then April showed up- I think she heard the noise?-"

"Mikey," Donnie scolded, "Keep it down. They're injured."

The younger turtle flipped over the couch and ran to the kitchen. "On it, bro! Nothing like hot chocolate pizza to make dudes feel better!"

"Did he just say-" April began.

"Yes," the other three turtles chorused.

"Do you doubt the power of the hot chocolate pizza?" Mikey's voice yelled from the kitchen, "You foolish mortals!"

"That does it," Leo said after a moment, "no more cooking channel."

April came up beside Splinter, and Casey looked down, suddenly aware of the sewer stench clinging to his clothes and the filth and grime caked on him. "Master Splinter, do you need any help?"

"Not at this moment, April," he said, raising his gaze to look at her, "Thank you for asking."

"Actually, I need you and Donnie to do something for me," Leo said. He extended his hand, and between his fingers he held a piece of razor wire. Casey recognized it as part of the bolas Slash had used on him "I need some tests run on this," he said, "There might be poison or some bacteria on it."

"On it," Donatello said, taking the wire, "it's a good thing I found a broken compound microscope at the dump. I was able to repair mine with the parts."

"So you want to take a sample from the wire or look at it directly?" April asked as she followed Donatello into his lab.

"You kept a wire sample?" Raph asked skeptically.

"Yes," Leo said, "In episode thirty-three, the Illusion, Captain Ryan-"

Raph groaned. Leo chuckled.

Splinter tied off the bandage, and with a last gentle caress of his son's face, he began to pack up the first-aid kit. "Now," he said, "tell me what happened."

Leo looked over at Casey and Raph. Raph and Casey shared a glance.

"Raph and I were on patrol," Casey said at last with a wince. It hurt to talk even though he could tell the painkillers had kicked in. "And outta nowhere we were attacked by this- thing-"

The three of them took turns filling Splinter in. The more he heard, the graver the rat's face grew. Leo told the part of their escape, and Casey could tell that something was wrong. His eyes were shiftier than usual, and his face twisted into a quick frown as he searched for words, clearly skirting something. And the story went on, he noticed that Raph got stiller, more compact, even when he was talking.

When they had finished relaying the story, Splinter moved over to Casey and checked the dressing. The bleeding had stopped, and Splinter quickly secured the patch. "Raphael," he said when he was finished, "Come with me."

The turtle stood slowly and followed his teacher into the dojo. Casey felt his body shudder at the sound of the slamming door. That couldn't be good.

"Why is he mad at Raph?" he asked Leo.

Leonardo looked affronted. "Splinter's not mad at Raph," he said.

"But… he's taking him back into his room," Casey said, gesturing.

"He just wants to talk with Raph alone," Leo said shooting Casey a strange look, "He's not mad."

Casey stared, then sank back into the couch. "Whatever you say," Casey said, too tired to argue the point.

"Still have a headache?" Leo asked. It took a moment for the statement to get through, and Casey turned his head. "Yeah," he admitted. His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. Three-thirty-five. It was late, far later than his patrols with Raph usually ran. His dad would wake up in less than three hours. Casey was just moving to stand when Leo's voice broke the silence. "You didn't see him, did you Casey?"

He stopped. There was something in Leo's voice. Trembling.

"See… what?" he asked, sinking back down.

Leo met Casey's eyes and exhaled slowly, searching for words. "Do you know what the last thing Slash touched was?" he asked.

Casey frowned. He remembered the distinct feeling of Slash's leathery skin around his throat- but no, then Leo had-

His head snapped up and he met Leo's gaze as a cold knot tied itself in his gut. "You," he whispered.

Secretly, he hoped that Leo would laugh and deny it, pass it off as a joke, but his face remained still, belying the turmoil throbbing along the turtle's nerves. He could not meet Leo's eyes. His mind went blank as he struggled for words to couldn't fix this. None of them were good enough.

Leonardo exhaled. "He looks… like an older me. And he has different coloring, but still. He can mimic my voice. And Raph's. We'll need a codeword of some kin-."

"I… Leo, I'm sorry," he managed at last, and the apology was so woefully inadequate he wanted to beat a hockeystick against the wall. "I-"

Something awkwardly brushed his shoulder and Casey went rigid. "It was an accident," Leo said, "You didn't do it on purpose."

"That doesn't make it right," Casey said, pulling away.

"...No," Leo said after a moment, "It… it doesn't." He took a deep breath and let it out again, then rubbed the ridge of his nose. "It doesn't," he repeated, "But… I know you didn't do it on purpose. I forgive you."

"Thanks," Casey whispered. The metallic, disgusting taste in his mouth did not go away and the headache behind his eye worsened. Casey rubbed his brow. Anything else he could say to Leo would never be enough. Apologies and pretty words would not fix this mistake..

Leo shifted on the couch. There was a loud bang, then a pouring of black smoke from the kitchen. "Sorry!" Mikey yelled Leo darted into the kitchen, his brother's name tearing from his lips. Casey glanced at the clock again. Two-forty. He had to move. But everything was heavy- his eyes, his throat, his heart, and he felt himself sinking away.

When Raph left the dojo, he was surprised to see Casey stretched on the couch. Traces of paint clung to his face, and his eyes were underscored with violet as he shivered slightly in the chilly sewer air. Taking a folded blanket from the stack by the TV, he spread it over Casey gently.

He smelled the burnt chocolate and flour wafting from the kitchen, and Leo and Mikey's voices spilled into the living room. His lips quirked up and he sank on the couch next to Casey. Closing his eyes, Raph leaned back, simply listening to the noise of the lair. Mikey laughing, Leo sighing, and the muffled sound of explosions from Donnie's lab.

Leo emerged from the kitchen, shaking his head. "The oven burner detached again," Leo said.

"We really need to fix that," Raph said, "I'll look at it tomorrow."

He rested his elbows on his knees, hoping Leo would take the hint and back off.

Leo got it. He always did. But he chose to lean against the arm of the couch anyway. "So," Leo said quietly.

"So?" Raph asked.

"So what did Splinter say?" Leo asked.

His lips pressed together. Leo waited. "He said this wasn't my fault," Raph said after a moment. It was far more complex than that, Splinter had said a lot of things. But he was still trying to work through the night's events, even as he remembered his father's words.

"So you know this was not-"

"How is this not my fault, Leo?" Raph asked, standing. "I'm the one who brought the mutagen into my room." He paused, and looked away. "Everything Slash has said has been something I've said to him before. And I meant it, Leo- at least at the time. I was angry, and I just- it's so much easier to say you hate someone, to say that they don't understand you than it is to admit that you're the one with the issues, that you don't have it all together." His voice lowered. "That you're the one who's broken."

"Raph, that's not true-"

"The DNA that mutated Slash was mine, Leo. All the things he said were mine. His beliefs, his fighting style, everything- It's me, Leo. That's who I am." He stood. "Look what happened to you. To Casey!" He paused, and felt blood pour from the inside of his mouth. "Who I am hurt the people I love the most, Leo. I- that's not-"

Leo put a hand on his shoulder. "Raph," he said, "This was not your fault. Slash's actions are not your fault."

"Leo-"

"Yes," he said firmly, pulling away just enough to look his brother in the eye, "You influenced Slash's actions. But his actions are his choice. Not yours. I... heard things Slash said," Leo continued, "And… you're not like him, Raph. You pretend you don't, but we know you really care. Even if you're not always good at communicating it. And… yeah, you screwed up with the mutagen, but… we know you don't mean the things you say when you're angry."

"I do at the time ," Raph said.

"Do you mean them now?" Leo asked. "Do you mean them even five minutes after you've had a chance to stop and think?"

He looked away. Hesitantly, Leo pulled him into a hug. Raph stiffened, then melted into it. "I'm sorry, Leo."

"I know, Raph. It's OK," he said softly, "I love you, Raph."

Raph tightened his hug around his older brother. "Leo, I-"

There was a crash, then Mikey stumbled into the living room, covered in flour, holding aloft a brown pizza. "I did it! And you said I couldn't, Leo!"


	10. Chapter 10

The smell of frying eggs woke him. Warm underneath the soft blanket, Casey turned over, taking comfort in the homey smell and the warmth of the cloth.

Then Casey remembered he was the one who had to make breakfast in the morning. He awoke with a start, reaching for the alarm clock. Why hadn't it rung and woke him up? Dad was going to be so pissed-

His searching hand met empty space. He overstretched and fell off the bed onto the wooden floor with a curse.

No, it was tile.

What?

Casey sat up and rubbed at his face. His surroundings sharpened around him. Instead of dingy brown furniture and peeling white paint, there were grey walls and wide open space. For a moment, he sat in a tangle of limbs and blankets, confused. Then he realized he had fallen asleep at the lair.

He was fully awake now, and aware of the pain throbbing in his throat and behind his eyes. What time was it? Casey glanced around anxiously, then decided it didn't matter. He just had to get home as soon as possible.

Untangling himself from the blanket, Casey searched for his gear. He found his mask and shoes, but one sock was missing.

"Hey, look who's awake!" Mikey's voice boomed, "How do you like your eggs?" the turtle asked from the kitchen.

"Have you seen my shoes?" Casey asked, shaking the blanket out.

"Scrambled it is, then," Mikey chirped.

Throwing the blanket aside, Casey pulled his one shoe one without a sock, wincing at the water soaked into the lining.

The dojo door slid open. Leo and Raph came out, fresh bandages covering Leo's arms. "Morning, Casey," Leo greeted as Raph said, "Hey, Casey."

He grunted in response, tying the last lace. "What time it is?" he asked.

"...I'm not sure," Leo said, "Donnie will know."

"It's ten o'clock!" Mikey shouted from the kitchen. Grabbing his mask, Casey made for the turnstiles.

"Thanks," he said, "But I gotta go."

"Go where?" Raph asked, "It's Saturday. No school."

"I have work," Casey said, trying to calculate how long he'd slept. He still felt tired, but he couldn't worry about that now. He had to get home now.

"You have to leave now?" Mikey asked, poking his head from the kitchen.

"Yes," Casey said.

"At least let me make you a plate," the orange-banded turtle said.

"I have to leave now to get there on time," Casey said.

Mikey's shoulders drooped. "Aw maan," he said. Then he perked up. "But you owe me a visit later!"

"What- yeah, sure," Casey said to get Mikey off his back. He paused, and looked at his mask and equipment. He wouldn't be able to sneak this into the apartment with his Dad awake. He turned to Leo. "Uh, any chance I can leave this here and pick it up later?"

Leo looked suspicious for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Sure, but why?"

"I don't want my dad seeing," Casey said, making sure he had his wallet and the ruins of his phone. He grimaced. That alone was not going to be fun to explain. Picking up his sweatshirt, he pulled it on and raised the hood, hoping to hide the bruises on his neck.

"Why not?" Leo asked.

"Cause then I'd have to tell him what I do at night," Casey said as he hopped the turnstiles, "see you around, Leo."

"And don't forget, I owe you a pizza!" Mikey's voice yelled after him.

He felt Raph's presence next to him, but didn't say anything. It felt strange to be around the turtle without his gear on. Together, they walked down the sewers until the reached the manhole. Casey climbed into the sunlight. "Wanna roofhop?" Raph asked from the shadows."

Casey hesitated, then answered, "Can't. I have to get home the normal way."

"Because you don't want your dad to know," Raph said. Casey nodded his head.

"See you tonight?" Raph asked.

"I don't know if I can meet you there," he admitted, "My Dad's gonna be pretty upset that I was late."

"Alright," Raph said after a moment's pause, "Later then. Bye, Casey."

"Bye," he said, watching Raph vanish into the shadows of the manhole. He replaced the cover, wincing, and stepped out of the alleyway onto the sidewalk. Sticking his hands in his pockets and keeping his head down, Casey walked.

He stopped at the Duane Reade and picked up a canister of oxygen and some light bulbs because they were out at home. Hopefully, it would be a sufficient peace offering. Deep down, he knew it was not. The purchases emptied all the cash from his wallet, and Casey winced at the thought of having to eat the school lunch until he was paid on Wednesday night. But he needed the oxygen. The pain in his chest had worsened overnight and going to the doctor was out of the question. He had promised Splinter he'd get it taken care of, and this was the least he could do.

While he was there, he glanced at the clock. Ten-thirty. He had to get moving. Grabbing the bag, Casey ran down the streets, down Steinway until he reached his apartment. His dad owned the store below it. There was no way Casey could enter without being seen. With a sigh, he decided to just get it over with.

Stepped inside the store, he forced himself not to react to the loud ding of the doorbell and walked casually to the 'Employees Only' sign on the door. When he came back out dressed in the uniform, his father was waiting with crossed arms.

Casey was too tired to argue or to come up with any excuse, so he simply made his way over to the cashier station and stood, waiting. "Son," his father's voice rumbled, and Casey's breath came out in a tired sigh.

His father's tone changed. "Don't you disrespect me, young man!" he ordered.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Casey said, looking up.

"Where were you last night?" he ordered.

He cast a quick glance to the big glass double doors, hoping a customer would walk in. No dice.

"Out," he said.

"Out where?" his father asked.

"With friends," Casey said evasively.

"Friend, huh?" Arnold Senior muttered, "Were you drinking again?"

"That never happened!" Casey burst out.

Arnold Senior's face darkened. "Don't you correct me, boy!"

Casey backed down. "Yes, sir," he said sullenly, resentment building in his chest.

"Who were you with last night," Arnold asked, "and where did you go?"

"I was with… another kid from around here. He's not at our school."

"And?"

"And we took his car for a joyride," Casey said, pulling the first excuse that came to his mind.

His dad sighed heavily. "You disappoint me, Casey," he said, his voice sharp as one of Leo's katana, "You are sixteen. You are a man. You ought to know better."

"Yes, sir," Casey agreed, looking at the floor. He was too tired for this. He just wanted to fall into bed and sleep.

"What's wrong with your throat?" his dad asked suddenly.

"Nothing!" Casey said, backing away.

Grabbing him roughly by the arm, Casey's dad pulled the collar of his work shirt down. Casey hadn't see what his neck looked like, but from the expression on his father's face, it was a pretty spectacular bruise. For a moment, he wondered what his dad was going to do-

"Turn your collar up," he said, letting Casey's arm go, "We can't let anyone see that."

Pointedly, Casey turned the collar of his uniform back up the way he'd had them. The sass must have come off too strongly in his body language, because it earned him a box on the ear. "Watch it, boy," Arnold Senior warned, pressing Casey against the wall with his presence, "You're just like your mother, with your attitude and your-"

"Casey?" a small voice asked. Instantly, Arnold's behavior changed. He was all smiles when he straightened and looked at his daughter on top of the stairwell.

"Hello Angel," his dad said. Casey's stomach roiled and his nails dug into his palms as his father continued, "You done with your movie?"

She ignored his question and darted down the stairs. "Casey Casey Casey Casey!" Robyn banged into his ribs, and he barely managed to hold back an agonized whimper.

Kneeling down, he returned her hug gently. "Hey snickerdoodle," he said, pinching her nose.

"You left," she pouted.

"Yeah, I did," he said, "But I'm back now."

Robyn bounced. "Play legos with me?" she asked.

"Casey has to work now, sweetheart," Arnold Senior said, picking her up, "But I have a moment."

She laughed and threw her arms around her father's neck, repeating his name in a singsong jingle.

As he walked away, Casey's dad shot him a last, hard look.

The rest of the day passed in a blur- Casey minding an empty shop or serving a whiny customer, he and his father pointedly ignoring each other as one stocked shelves and the other swept or minded the cashier post.

Right after the store closed, their argument picked up like it never ended. They were both downstairs, and Robyn had just been put to bed. Casey tried to stave off the argument by just agreeing with his dad- their arguments always worsened Robyn's nightmares- but his father was out for blood, and it didn't take long for either of them to lose their tempers.

It ended in the usual fashion, only this time when Casey fell he was unfortunate enough to take an entire shelf down with him. The crash brought Robyn down in a panic. The sight of her tear-stained face sent shame burning across Casey's face. Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut? he wondered as his father comforted her and told her that Casey had just "had a little accident."

Casey nodded, and forced a smile. Arnold Senior went upstairs with her, and Casey was left to clean the mess. He picked up the broken glass and mopped up the jam, his father's words throbbing more than the fresh bruises on his arms and chest.

He was lucky Robyn had come down. His father hadn't expected him to fall back with such a light hit, and Casey's yell of pain had probably startled him, but he hadn't pressed the issue due to her interruption.

Another coughing fit overtook him as he dumped the trash into the cans behind the door. His mouth filled with saliva, and he spat it onto the sidewalk without a second glance, until out of the corner of his eye he realized it wasn't clear.

In the dim streetlights, he looked back. It was a dark stain on the pale cement. He remembered what Splinter had said about bruised lungs. His fingers fumbling in the cold air, he took out the canister of oxygen and took a deep inhale, grimacing. The dry feeling set his throat afire.

There was a light tap to his left, and he turned to see Raph standing on top of the dumpster. For a moment, the only thing he was aware of was panic- how much had Raph heard?- before a real smile crossed his face. "Hey Raph," he said.

"Brought you your stuff," the turtle said, tossing Casey a sack, "You said your dad turns in real early."

"Yeah, usually around nine-thirtyish. Not tonight, but I think we're OK," Casey said, looking up to his father's window. It was dark. "Thanks for bringing it by," he said, hefting the sack.

Raphael shifted uneasily in the darkness. There was something else Raph wanted to say. Casey felt his defenses come up. How much had he heard? It wasn't really any of his business.

"I did a quick once-over on the way," Raph said, "Snakeweed's not in the area anymore, but Donnie's kept tabs on him. Says he's holed up in the Bronx. When you're feeling better, we can go-"

"When I'm feeling better?" Casey said, "Hell, I'm down for it now… as long as I don't get caught breaking curfew again."

"Right now, you're not in much of a condition to do anything," Raph said, indicating the oxygen canister.

His fist tightened around the metal. "You don't think I can keep up?" Casey asked, letting it fall to the ground.

You're dead weight, son.

"After what just happened with Slash, after I smashed a mission Leo told me I couldn't handle-"

"That's not it, Casey!" Raph exclaimed.

"Then what is it, Raph?" Casey asked, only the pain from his newest bruises reminding him to keep his voice low. For a moment they stood, eye to eye in all but height. Casey forced words around the lump in his throat. "After everything, what more do I have to do to prove myself?"

Not even just to Raph. To his father. To his mom, who he could never please now. To live up to Robyn's astronomical expectations of him. When she looked at him, she saw the moon. Casey looked in the mirror and he saw trash.

"That's not what I meant," Raph said, "You're injured, Casey. Pretty badly," he added, looking at the fresh glob of red on the sidewalk."

"I've had worse," Casey said, and it was true. Just not in the way Raph was expecting. "I can handle myself."

"I know, Casey. I… it's just… Raph exhaled and sank to the ground. Heavy shadows clung under his eyes. "I thought you were dead," he said at last, his voice breaking the stillness.

"...You what?" Casey asked, for a moment unsure whether he should be offended or not, but at the same time realizing that there was no anger in Raphael's confession. Like Casey, emotionr was a large part of Raphael's being. To get an emotionless layer of his personality, they had to be cut very deeply.

"It was a four-story drop, Casey," Raph said, lifting his head to meet the teen's eyes. "Most people don't walk away from that. You- you don't even have a shell, or any ninja training. I heard the crash…you didn't-" Raph squeezed his eyes closed. "What else was I supposed to think?" he asked, opening them again to look Casey in the eye, "What else could I have thought?"

Casey blinked, and stood helplessly. Emotional mushy stuff was not something he'd even been good at. So he sat next to Raph with a pained breath and elbowed the turtle in the armpit. "Hey. You're not getting rid of me that easy, Raph. I… I know I don't look it, but I'm pretty damn tough. I can take anything you guys have to throw at me. And you know what? I can throw it back, too."

Raph met his gaze, then a smile stretched across his face. "Yeah, guess I can let you stick around a bit longer… I need someone to watch my back when my brothers are occupied with Kraang bots."

"Or hot-chocolate pizza."

They laughed together. Raph snorted, then looked back at Casey. "You know… Mikey only let me bring the stuff once I promised him you'd come by again," Raph said, "he likes cooking for people, and you two haven't hung out all that much."

"What, afraid I'll corrupt him? Casey asked with a grin.

"No. He'll corrupt you."

Casey barked a laugh and shoved Raph. "I'm serious," Raph said, "He has this way of getting into your head!"

"Well, Casey Jones has the hardest head around," Casey said with a smirk, "You could break walls down with my skull."

"That's for sure," Raph muttered, standing up. "Either way, we need to set a time up or he'll come drag you down there himself. He can do it, too. Don't underestimate him."

He thought of Robyn, who had managed to find her way home in the dark, covered with freezing slime in the cold New York air. "I won't," he said seriously,

"And… I'll keep an eye on Snakeweed," Raph said, "If you don't want me to go after him-"

"No," Casey said, "He needs to go down, whether or not I do it myself. I… I know you can do it. I won't go out looking for snakeweed until my chest stops hurting," he said. With the aid of painkillers, he added silently.

Raph's eyebrows lifted. "You're starting to sound like Leo now," he said.

Casey feigned offense. "And here I thought I sounded like Captain Ryan."

Raph snorted and clapped Casey on the back, sending the teen into another coughing fit. "Sorry," Raph said, "Sorry."

"It's OK," Casey said, forcing himself to stop coughing and stand straight. "See you in a few nights, Raph."

"See you," the turtle agreed quietly as he vanished into the dark.

Far below the city, something in the darkness moved.

"You can't say it anymore, Leonardo," a voice whispered as it left dead Foot soldiers and smashed Kraang droids in its wake, "He's my brother as much as you are now."

Slash slipped into the chamber with every ounce of ninja stealth he possessed. Past the guards, past the prison chambers, up the stairs into the heart of the seemingly empty building.

He found what he was looking for in the western wing. There were rumors, stories whispered among the mutants. The small but strong group of ninja that came from nowhere with a violet foot as their symbol, stronger, faster, deadlier than the Foot they knew.

To Slash, they were just stories. But while he noted the emblem of a violet Foot hung on the wall behind him, he didn't care. These new Foot weren't his concern. His only concern for now was the mutagen.

"You can't say it again, Leonardo," he whispered as he hefted the cylinder of violet mutagen that lay in their special storage chamber, "I won't let you."


End file.
